Alachua school board agrees to shift Jan. 12 workshop schedule to increase public access
Summary
After board members raised concerns about a 10 a.m. start time, the Alachua County School Board agreed by consensus to begin the Jan. 12 workshop in the afternoon (policies 3:00–4:30 p.m., break, guiding principles at 5:00 p.m.) to preserve public comment opportunities and broaden participation.
Board members debated the timing of the Jan. 12 workshop and agreed to move the event from a 10 a.m. start to an afternoon schedule in order to make it easier for working residents to attend.
Boardmember Miss Plavic urged the board to consider evening hours so more people who work can participate, noting that turnout at some in-person sessions was modest. "Fifty people out of a population of 1,800 students, to me, is not representative," she said during the workshop.
After discussion about prior practice and member schedules, the meeting facilitator summarized a compromise that the board accepted: begin policy review at 3:00 p.m. (estimated 3:00–4:30 p.m.), take a half-hour break and start the guiding-principles discussion at 5:00 p.m., preserving opportunities for signed public comment at the end of the workshop. Participants and staff confirmed the change and the board proceeded with the rest of the workshop.
The board's adjustment is procedural rather than a policy adoption; consultants and staff will present the draft guiding principles at the rescheduled workshop and the board will have further opportunity to revise or accept them during that meeting.
